There is not a day that I do not wake with the anticipation of my first sip of coffee. The fourth cup, for me, is as delicious as the first, be it at noon or eight in the evening, just before I go to bed. I think of this very pleasure when I read a historical fiction of a lady having her cup of chocolate to start her day or when requested as an evening treat.
It was not the sweet delicacy that we enjoy today, though I had some understating of that. I learned the chocolate served at one house could vary wildly from that served at another. And it could not sit in a pot as tea or coffee might. Special pots were used to make chocolate. If the chocolate was not served soon after making, its contents were stirred often, or it thickened and would pour out in clumps as it cooled.
Many recipes will get you the base of your Regency-era cup of bitter chocolate. If starting with a chocolate tablet, the treat took thirty minutes to prepare. If not, it could take hours.
Spiced Hot Chocolate
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 strip lemon peel 1” by 2”
1 3” cinnamon stick
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1tsp vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream
Heat the first five ingredients to boil, reduce heat to simmer three minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cocoa and vanilla until foamy. Strain into warmed cups. Top with whipped cream. When using real milk in your hot cocoa, never overheat. Overheating milk destroys the flavor and texture. Milk temperature should never exceed 170 degrees.
A Passion for Hot Chocolate – Jane Austen articles and blog
One might start with cocoa nuts, anise seeds, almonds, long pepper, cinnamon, pistachios, cloves, or bergamot. The need to grind cinnamon to a fine powder or to add gingerbread to make the chocolate as a thickener is, thankfully, unnecessary now. But the same tricks can still be employed to make it more delicious and savory. Add a little chili powder to your chocolate if you like spice and heat. If you prefer something with a holiday taste, add a bit of pumpkin spice or nutmeg. And if you want a different flavor, choose almond extract over vanilla. The next time I make mugs of chocolate around the holidays, I intend to try some delicious options.
Sources for When Chocolate Was Considered a Breakfast Treat:
Grace, Maria “Making Drinking Chocolate the Regency Way” Random Bits of Fascination January 13, 2018, Making Drinking Chocolate the Regency Way – Random Bits of Fascination
Hatch, Donna “Regency Chocolate” Historical Hussies July 6, 2009, Historical Hussies: Regency Chocolate
Benson, Laurie “The Secret Behind the 18th Century Hot Chocolate Pot” LAURIE BENSON’S COZY DRAWING ROOM, March 5, 2018, The Secret Behind the 18th Century Hot Chocolate Pot – Laurie Benson’s Cozy Drawing Room (thecozydrawingroom.com)
Boyle, Laura “A Passion for Hot Chocolate” Janeausten.co.uk, January 9, 2001, A Passion for Hot Chocolate – Jane Austen articles and blog
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